"The Soul"

  It is amazing the millions and millions of Bibles that exist in our country yet so many are ignorant of God. Bibles floating all around, easily available and people are wondering how this world came into existence. Many turn to Science for proof of things. God speaks to man through His word and says that world came into existence from Him (Heb. 11:3). There is little faith in God.

  We come to man. We are a three part being according to I Thes. 5:23. We have a body, a soul and spirit. I've had some in the church tell me you cannot distinguish between the soul and spirit. God's word says they are not the same (Heb. 4:12). Jesus came to man from God to help man see the depths and insight to the truth of God. That means we must trust God at His word!

  God created man in His image. We know that. God took dust and formed man's body. From that God breathed into man His breath and what happened? Man became a living 'soul' (Gen. 2:7). Some versions say "being" but the Hebrew word for "being" is soul. The soul is the living, eternal part of man. The breath of God united within the dust created this living soul within us. Our soul is that part of us that thinks, feels and is aware of the deep things of us. Job found his soul miserable and bitter (Job 3:20-21). His soul was longing. The soul is what people feel tormented when things are bad. The soul responds to the things around you.

  God has a soul (Lev. 26:11)! God's soul can reject man if they don't follow His word. Man can reject the commandments of God and that rejection is within the soul (Lev. 26:15-16). If God abhors one because they refuse to listen, He will utterly destroy (Lev. 26:30).

  Jesus, being made in the likeness of man, speaks of His soul being deeply grieved as He faced the cross (Matt. 26:37-38). He feels what man feels and is aware in His soul. What does all this mean? We put too much emphasis on the physical dust called the body. We don't realize that our soul can be lacking and hurting. As Jesus pointed out that we need to make certain that we don't fear those who can only kill the body but the One who can destroy both body and soul (Matt. 10:28). Jesus' life and death were to point us to take care of our souls because as sin wears on us, the wearing is on the soul, that life within that is eternal. Taking hold of Jesus will give rest to the soul (Matt. 11:28-29). Jesus came to save the soul of man! The body will return to the dust. The spirit of man (where we get the animation for our bodies) will return back to God as His breath (Eccl. 12:7) but the soul, the eternal person of you that will exist forever will continue to live after death and that's the part Jesus came to save! Take care of your soul. Feed your soul, not your body!!!